Thrilling aerial dance show relives childhood joy of being on a swing

By Danica Ollerova

July 22 2021, 11:45 am

Everyone loves the childhood joy of being on a swing … and now the thrill of how high you can go is being relived by one of Scotland’s top aerial dance companies.

Edinburgh’s All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre has just announced the Scottish tour of its new outdoor, interactive and family-focused production. Called The Swings, the event will take place on Tuesday July 27 at the top rugby pitch adjacent to The Barn in Banchory.

From there, the event will travel to Forres, Inverness and other Highland venues.

Staged using a giant set with two swings, the show is a 15-minute choreographed aerial dance duet performed at intervals throughout the day. Inspired by playground games and memories, the playful dynamic between the two aerial artists is key to the production.

Using the long ropes and swing seats as their apparatus, the dancers will perform a range of stunning tricks, flipping, somersaulting, and tumbling, as they soar high above the socially distanced audience below.

The Swings was inspired by spending time in playparks

Jennifer Paterson, artistic director of All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre, said: “The inspiration for The Swings came from spending time in a playpark as a mum, being around swings again and seeing how much joy they bring. Swings are so integral to your childhood.

“They are in almost every park. If you’re lucky you have one in your garden, or maybe a rope swing on a tree. You hang about them as a teenager. The feeling of being on a swing and the excitement of building it up higher and higher never leaves you. It’s such a visceral feeling – the air rushing past your face, the laughing, the rise and fall of your stomach. Will you jump off? How high can you go? What tricks can you do?”

Part aerial duet, part installation

The Swings is a part aerial duet, part installation. Following every performance, audiences will be invited to have a swing while listening to a sound installation of memories evoked from childhood swinging.

The event will take place on Tuesday July 27 near The Barn in Banchory.

Fragments of conversations from the company’s friends, family, neighbours and colleagues can be heard. The organisers believe the ideas of freedom, leisure, togetherness and shared space will resonate with audiences due to the circumstances we have all found ourselves in for more than a year.

The Swings was originally commissioned by Imaginate’s Family Encounters and the Merchant City Festival. It has been supported by The Work Room (Glasgow) and Macrobert, with National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland’s Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance.